What Is Silver Screen?

People sometimes refer to the films that are shown in cinemas as the silver screen. Since the advent of films in the early 1900’s, theaters have been trying to optimize their viewing quality. Eventually, the use of silver lenticular screens would fall out of fashion as alternatives became available.

[What is Lenticular? It is an auto stereoscopic solution – it allows the viewing of a 3D (depth) image without the need for special 3D glasses. It is based on a technology in which a lenticular sheet is used to separate the left and right eye images, creating the perception of depth in printed images without special glasses.]

But because of the early prevalence of silver in the production of screens, the term stuck around and is used till date.

Back then, the films were projected on big screens and the surface that was used for projecting them wasn’t just a plain surface. During the 1920’s, movie producers began to incorporate silver because of its reflective qualities, which delivered a better image. In various cases, the fabric used to be painted with silver color or silver dust was sprinkled on it.

Over the years, the usage of the silver screen decreased because it provided a narrower viewing angle and with advancement in technology, better options were available to screen films.

Content for this question contributed by Jason Nevens, resident of Raynham, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA